𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳

𝑰𝑰𝑰

It felt like an endless circle, it was an endless circle. Every minute of every day felt cold and pale, without a flavor, everything felt empty, energy lost. Every minute of every day had great power to drain every drop of life within me, and if I'm being honest, I put no effort on changing that. I didn't try to make the work I'm ought to do more delightful, or to pump energy in that old house, nothing will be any different anyway. Towards the end of every day, I get weary, my body as if built of old wood, and my eyes hardly stay open to show me the way. My mind shuts down, I can't think of anything, I can't feel anything except the usual emptiness that I grew to get used to. Nothing more, nothing less.

Mr. Coleman and his Lady left early in the morning, they said it was urgent, and they did not mention when they will be coming back. I was not meant to ask what was so urgent that they had to leave early for, but I could hear whispers every now and then about the Lady's dying brother, and how they were counting his last days, I wished I could give her my sincere condolences. Due to their departure, we had way less work to do, which felt a little relieving, but I knew, for a fact, that Mrs. Perkins will always find tasks to put on my shoulders, yet I didn't mind that much.

We stood by the gates, watching as the carriage took Mr. Coleman and his Lady out slowly, I could not understand the point of standing as they leave, looking down at my feet. Yet still I stood, with Mrs. Perkins beside me and to her side was Betty, the new maid that came few weeks ago, she wasn't the friendly kind. I slowly tilted my head up as I heard the carriage wheels moving, watching as it made its way out. Once the carriage passed the gates, the company that I had started fading away, one by one, everyone went back as if nothing had ever happened, and I could tell, by the way their eyes could not settle on a spot, that they all wanted to leave a long time ago.

I was the last to leave, I waited for them all to find their way back to their work before I thought of moving myself, for I thought as long as I had a moment with myself, and work was yet to fall upon me, why not enjoy some lonely time, a breath of fresh air.

I lifted my gaze up, for a moment, and all I could see was a figure I recognized pretty well, standing next to the peach tree, as they both looked at me. As if struck by lightening, I stood stunned, my jaw could've hit the ground as it dropped, it was but wasn't the most pleasant surprise. She waved at me with what looked like a smile, she expected me to come near her. I held my gown tightly with one hand as I raced to her, half frightened, and half pleased. I let myself think of the possiblity that Mrs. Perkins would come looking for me and find her, and I prepared myself for the worst.

"Lucky for you l'm the one who found you!" I gasped for a breath, a bit of running made my knees feel like jelly candy, and there was no air to be breathed. In return she giggled, she did not have half of the fear that I did, maybe because she didn't know those people like I did, or maybe she knew them better.

"Well, good morning!" She said lightheartedly, with a grin that touched her ears and a chuckle hidden within her words. Again, her eyes sparkled with joy, and again, it was the most pleasant sight for my eyes to see. "Is it your master who left in the carriage?"

"Yes, his Lady was with him. I have no idea where they're headed, and what for." I gave her a shrug, up in my head I was talking to myself as I wished for answers to those questions, it was a wild curiosity that I had.

"I hope everything is alright." She showed sympathy as if it was ready for her to give, sympathy that was not at all fake. "Anyway, I came to thank you for letting me stay yesterday, I hope that didn't get you into any sort of trouble."

"You're welcome, and no, at all. But I'm afraid that if they find out about you in their garden, you will be in all sorts of trouble." I faked a little laugh, hoping that it would make it sound less harsh. It sounded awkward.

"I do want to give you a little gift as a thank you." She had a hand of hers tucked away behind her back. I did not know why I was all excited all of a sudden, like a child given a gift.

"But I want you to close your eyes and show me the palms of your hands." She kept swinging back and forth on her heels, her teeth clenched on her lower lip as she could not stop the growth of her smile.

I did as I was told, my head was tilted towards the sky, and my eyes were shut as tight as possible, mostly because the sun was burning through my eyelids. She took my hand, smoothly resting it on hers, and at the softness of her skin I couldn't help the little smile that kept growing bigger and bigger. And on the skin of my hands I felt something rough, I couldn't figure out what it was until I let my eyes open, to see a gorgeous little crown of dried daisies and lavenders scattered here and there.

As I looked at her again, with my sight blurry with all the joy tears that gathered in them, I could only see her perfectly shaped lips stretched in a smile, a very wind one, a very beautiful one.

"I made it myself, I do hope that you like it, and I do think that you do." She looked right into my eyes, and found the words I lost. I, in every possible way, was speechless.

"Here," she took it from my hand, and while standing on the tip of her toes. she fixed it perfectly on my head. For a moment I was embarrassed that my hair was so messy the way it was. "It matches your chocolate hair perfectly."

"This is lovely, thank you so much." Her eyes held an entire universe of stars within as they met mine, her smile didn't fade. I regained my words, and once more I was able to speak, yet my voice still sounded fragile.

"You're most welcome. However I think I should leave now, I certainly don't desire for neither of us to be in trouble. See you later?" She ran her fingers through her tender red hair, and with a smile followed by a nod from me, she made her way away from me.

"Uh, what's your name?" I shouted before she completely disappeared into the crowd of trees, I remembered that I had yet to know her name, and that didn't feel right at all. I managed to draw her attention to me right away.

"Louisa, call me Lou!" She shouted back, her voice so full of energy that it gave everything in my surroundings a sensation of life. Then, with a blink of an eye, she was out of sight.

I smiled like a little child as I took that little crown off, holding it so tight yet so gently fearing that it'll break. My eyes couldn't leave the direction where she left, and like never before my heart was a mess in my chest.